BEIRUT, April 22 (Xinhua) -- Hezbollah said Wednesday it launched a drone strike targeting a newly established Israeli artillery position in the town of al-Bayada in southern Lebanon, in response to what it described as continued Israeli ceasefire violations.
In a statement, the group said the strike took place at 11 a.m. local time (0800 GMT), targeting an Israeli military site it said had been used to shell villages in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah said the drone hit a fire control facility at the site and caused a fire in one of the rooms.
The Israeli military said a drone launched from Lebanon was intercepted before entering Israeli territory. Military spokesperson Ella Waweya said it targeted forces operating south of the border area but was shot down and did not trigger air raid sirens. She called the incident a "blatant violation" of the ceasefire agreement.
The exchanges came despite a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that took effect April 16, following a U.S.-announced agreement aimed at halting weeks of escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.
Israeli and Lebanese officials held talks in Washington on April 14. A second round of discussions is scheduled for Thursday. ■
